The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-12-01
CARELESS WITH A GUN,
A SENSIBLE MAN NEVER FOOLS WITH
FIREARMS mot LOADED"


Story of the Boy with an Empty Shot.
grn-A Lesson for Life-Anothcr Illus.
tration of Criminal Carclcssness-The
Only Safe Way.
Never handle firearms carelcssly.
used to do it, but of late years it makes
me boil to have anybody point gun or
pistol toward me. Two events in my life
have done more to inspire within me q
wholesome respect for flrearms.th any
thing else that ever happened to me.
When was about Is years old bor-
rowcd shotgun of q chum.
s'Is it loaded?'' was the first question
asked.
'No," was the reply, and I, like q
goose believed what he said.
On the way home with it met another
boy, who began lodging behind the shade
trees rs I approached, Indian fashion. |,
of course, must do my part of the tragedy,
so cooking the gun, began to skulk too,
until, when we finally met, to show that
he was plainly in my power, put the
muzzle of the gun up close to his nose and
pulled the trigger.
I thought no more of the circumstance
until evening", when I began cleaning the
gun, and found that it was clogged up so
could not blow through it. Procuring
cap, placed it on the nipple, and, going
to the front door, pulled the trigger, and
away she went, with report that awoke
the neighbors for blocks around and filled
the leaves Of cherry tree near by as full
of holes as skinner.
Then thought of Tom, into whose face
Ihad snapped the gun. The fact that the
cap had become damp alone prevented the
gun from being discharged and blowing
Toms head into smithereens.
Though his after life was flzzle, and
he filled drunkard's grave at IN early
age, yet how my life would have been
blighted if, through my boyish careless
ness, he had been killed. vowed VOW
at that time never to be careless with fire.
arms.
ANOTHER INCIDENT.
One more circumstance occurred after
had grown to manhood. was standing
on O pile of lumber, busily engaged in
measuring lumber, when, hearing
ssclck" behind me, turned, and there
stood boatman pointing an army musket
squarely at my head and sighting along
the barrel. The muzzle of the gun was
only six feet from my head, and he had
just snapped it ut me. He was man. 81
years old, and, under the first angry inl-
pulse that came over me, said:
tsYou old fool, you ought to know bet
L.. %oe Of n
in that careless way"
CAV, pshaw" said he, "it isn't
loaded"
"How do you know that?'
"Because 1t has been lying around my
boat for more than six months, and
know it isn't"
''That's just the reason you don't know
anything about it," said I.
oval, now, you're making such fuss
about it, I'm going to get cap and show
you. Here, hold the gun till / come
back"
While he was gone I ran the ramrod
down the barrel and found that it was
loaded.
When he returned with cap I removed
the old one and replaced it with o new
one. Pointing the gun upward I pulled
the trigger and report followed, the re-
coil from which nearly knocked me off the
lumber pile and raised the boatman's hair
on end.
.What do you think now?'' asked.
"Well," said he, ''that's the last time
shall point q gun at anybody if live lou
years."
A damp cap alone saved me that time,
and though I should not have been to
blame, yet this event would have blighted
my life still more effectually than the first
one, for it would undoubtedly have blown
my head Off my shoulders, and man who
finds himself in that condition can but
acknowledge that his life is, in u measure,
bighted, and his future plans and pros
poets somewhat interfered with.
Don't fool with firearms. If q gun Is
loaded, and everybody knows it is loaded,
there is little danger. 1t is the gun and
the revolver which is not loaded that goes
off and kills folks or mains them for life.
So the only safe way is to handle them Mt
all times as though they were loaded.
Get into the habit of so doing; then it
will become natural and easy to yon, and
you may be spared the agony of gazing
upon the mangled form Of some friend
through whom you have let daylight.
Always keep behind gun yourself, and
point the muzzle away from other people.
Sunshine.